Latest news with #Roddick
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Andy Roddick rips apart billionaire and demands tennis match is investigated
Bill Ackman, a 59-year-old billionaire, made his professional tennis debut at the age of 59 on Thursday, with Andy Roddick branding the match "the biggest joke I've ever watched" Former world No. 1 Andy Roddick has launched a scathing attack on the Tennis Hall of Fame and billionaire Bill Ackman after a controversial doubles match at the Hall of Fame Open. Ackman, a 59-year-old hedge fund tycoon with a reported net worth of around the £7billion mark, made his pro tennis debut this week alongside retired star Jack Sock, only to draw sharp condemnation from Roddick, who labelled the match "the biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis." Teaming up with Sock – a two-time Wimbledon doubles champion – Ackman received a wildcard to compete against Australians Bernard Tomic and Omar Jasika in an ATP Challenger-level event, which is traditionally meant for young prospects or players returning from injuries. The match, held Thursday in Newport, Rhode Island, was lopsided, as Jasika and Tomic coasted to a 6-1, 7-5 win in just over an hour. Footage shared widely online showed Ackman struggling with fundamental strokes, committing double faults and looking thoroughly outmatched, sparking widespread outrage. During his Quick Served podcast, Roddick was blunt in his criticism and even demanded an official inquiry into the match. "It was a match where it looked like four players were in the bag," the American, 42, said furiously. "Bill Ackman – who has been a massive tennis fan, supporter, funds the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association), the whole thing – wanted to play a pro tournament. "You don't give a wildcard to someone who 59 players at my club are better than. I'm on committees for the Hall of Fame. I'm honoured to be part of the Hall of Fame. I have great relationships with people on the Hall of Fame, and you can disagree with people that you have a good relationship with. This was a total miss. "The job of the Hall of Fame is to preserve and celebrate excellence in our sport. This was the biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis. Even Tomic… he was serving 50mph to someone. He'd have a sitter and he'd play it softly." Roddick's frustration was echoed across the tennis community. Outraged fans posted their own criticisms, with one likening Ackman's appearance to a 'Make-A-Wish stunt," while another slammed it as a "circus event." Veteran tennis organiser Randy Walker described it as "the absolute worst professional tennis match I've ever seen." Roddick also implied that the level of play was so low that it may have violated the ATP's 'best effort' policy. According to ATP rules, players are required to give full effort on every point, with penalties ranging from steep fines to suspensions if they are found to be slacking. "If there was any sort of review process in tennis... I remember [Nick] Kyrgios got fined for tanking [his performance] one year, because, like, if it's obviously less than your best effort apparently that qualifies," Roddick said. "This match is going to be under review. It has to be. "There was exactly one person on that court trying as hard as they could. One person. If you want to be argue with me, go back and watch that video – you can't tell me there was more than one person trying as hard as they could every point, or any point. It was a disaster. "This was beneath the Hall of Fame, in my opinion. It's nothing personal against Bill Ackman. He can do what he wants. His dream was to do it and someone is going to let him do it. It's not his fault, I don't blame him. Someone has to say yes to this. It was rough. It's the Hall of Fame. That's what's breaking my heart a little bit… it sucks." Mirror Sport has contacted the ATP for an official response. For his part, Ackman acknowledged his nerves got the better of him. Posting on X, he described the match as "humbling" and said he now holds a deeper appreciation for pros who perform under pressure. "Throughout the match, my wrist, arm and body literally froze with the expected negative outcomes," the 59-year-old wrote. "I had difficulty breathing, and it was not a fitness issue. It got a bit better as the match progressed, but I was not able to overcome it." The incident has sparked wider discussion about wealth, access, and fairness in professional tennis. As the fallout continues, Roddick's push for accountability reflects broader concerns about maintaining the sport's credibility.
Metro
10-07-2025
- Business
- Metro
Andy Roddick hits out at the 'biggest joke I've ever watched in tennis'
Former Grand Slam champion Andy Roddick has slammed the decision to allow American billionaire Bill Ackman, 59, to make his professional tennis debut in a Hall of Fame tournament. Ackman, a hedge fund manager and founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, was widely mocked online after playing in the a doubles tournament in Newport, Rhode Island. The successful businessman, who is believed to be worth more than £8bn, played with American tennis pro Jack Sock in a doubles matches against Australian pair Bernard Tomic and Omar Jasika. Ackman is a huge tennis fan and, according to Roddick, a big supporter of the game. However, the former world number one was disappointed by the decision to allow Ackman to effectively become a professional tennis player and said the match was the 'biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis'. Ackman was clearly out of his depth several basic mistakes in the match and Roddick said it was a 'total miss' to let him play in an ATP Tour Challenger as a wildcard. Tomic and Jasika cruised through the first set 6-1 before easing off in the second, which they still won 7-5, and giving Ackman plenty of hittable balls in scenes Roddick described as 'pathetic'. Speaking on the Served podcast, Roddick said: 'I was clicking between the most accomplished player of all time [Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon quarter-final] and a match where it looked like four players were in the bag. 'Bill Ackman has been a massive fan and supporter of tennis and he wanted to play in a pro tournament. You don't give a wildcard when there's 50 players at my club better than him. 'I'm on committees for the Hall of Fame and I'm honoured to be part of the Hall of Fame but this was a total miss. The job of the Hall of Fame is to preserve and celebrate excellence in our sport. 'This was the biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis. It was a disaster. This was beneath the Hall of Fame. 'It's nothing personal against Bill, he can do what he wants. It was his dream to do and someone let him do it so it's not his fault, I don't blame him. 'But someone had to say yes to this and it was rough. It was hard to watch. It was beneath the Hall of Fame, which I love so much. 'I've sent an email asking for an explanation and if I get one and there's something I'm completely missing, I have no problem admitting I'm wrong. More Trending 'But I don't know what could possibly be said to make me feel different about this. It was pathetic, it was pathetic. I didn't like it one bit.' After being granted a wildcard entry to play in the tournament, Ackman said his teammate Sock would receive any of their potential winnings – around £2,500 if they won their first-round match. Discussing his love for tennis last year, Ackman said: 'I have had a lifelong passion for tennis, both as a player and a fan.' Ackman was believed to be in talks to play doubles with Nik Kyrgios before the Australian former Wimbledon finalist suffered an injury setback. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Aryna Sabalenka comes to the rescue after two fan incidents in Wimbledon semi-final MORE: Novak Djokovic has broken one Wimbledon record – Jannik Sinner will deny him another MORE: Carlos Alcaraz has shown one weakness at Wimbledon that 'servebot' Taylor Fritz can exploit
Daily Record
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Emma Raducanu sent the most incredible request by tennis hero who begs star to rid herself of unwanted rep
The former US Open winner's gutsy efforts in the third round at SW19 must become the start of something greater Former three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick has publicly pleaded with Emma Raducanu to fight tooth and nail to keep Mark Petchey in her corner. The former US Open winner's gutsy efforts in the third round at SW19 against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka earned plaudits from onlookers. Now Roddick reckons the 22-year-old must rid herself for a career beset by multiple coaching changes and injury setbacks which have left her struggling to replicate the brilliance which led her to glory at Flushing Meadows four years ago. Roddick – a former US Open winner himself – reckons that must start with a serious conversation with Andy Murray's former coach Petchey. Roddick – speaking on his Served Podcast – said: "If I had one request leaving this tournament, please stay with Mark Petchey. It is working! You have looked better and better each time. Petchey is a really good coach, and you seem to have a great camaraderie. "That is like, don't fire someone and start over again and do the whole thing. Keep this continuity." But Raducanu didn't commit to Petchey beyond this summer but offered a warm thanks for his services. Raducanu said: "It's very difficult. He obviously also has his commentating commitments. He agreed to help me until the end of Wimbledon and then we will see from there because he gave up some work to work with me here, which I really appreciate and I'm grateful for." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Celtic community here.
South Wales Argus
01-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Hat's off to Draper who looks the real deal at Wimbledon
There's been a Wimbledon singles champion in a cloche hat, a French beret and even a straw boater, while Serena Williams likes to claim she's the only winner to wear a tiara. Jack Draper is looking to become the first to win in a back-to-front baseball cap, perhaps not realising that Andy Roddick tried and failed in three finals. These early rounds of Wimbledon can feel like going through the motions for the top players and headwear stats aside, the British number one dominated the figures that mattered to progress with ease against Argentina's Sebastian Baez. Baez wore a bandana by the way, a box stylishly ticked long ago by Pat Cash and Roger Federer, but retired hurt when trailing 6-2 6-2 2-1, the match already way out of reach. There's actually quite a lot of Roddick in Draper, a powerful serve and strong forehand and an ability to grind out wins from the baseline. Roddick is a big fan too, predicting the British world number four will be the next new Grand Slam champion, perhaps as early as next week. Next up for Draper is Croatia's Marin Cilic, a finalist here seven years ago now ranked 79 places below the home hope, though the two have never played. But, in truth, the quarter-finals - where Novak Djokovic could await - should be the minimum return for this fortnight in Costa Del Merton. "I wanted to play a bit longer, I was really getting my tennis together and it's no way to win like that," said Draper. "I'm trying to focus on the things that I can control, just keep doing the right things to play the best tennis I can and I'm really looking forward to the next week or so. "I'm not thinking matches ahead, everyone in this draw can play incredible tennis and we've seen already this week that everyone has the chance to cause an upset."
The Herald Scotland
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Hat's off to Draper who looks the real deal at Wimbledon
There's been a Wimbledon singles champion in a cloche hat, a French beret and even a straw boater, while Serena Williams likes to claim she's the only winner to wear a tiara. Jack Draper is looking to become the first to win in a back-to-front baseball cap, perhaps not realising that Andy Roddick tried and failed in three finals. These early rounds of Wimbledon can feel like going through the motions for the top players and headwear stats aside, the British number one dominated the figures that mattered to progress with ease against Argentina's Sebastian Baez. Baez wore a bandana by the way, a box stylishly ticked long ago by Pat Cash and Roger Federer, but retired hurt when trailing 6-2 6-2 2-1, the match already way out of reach. There's actually quite a lot of Roddick in Draper, a powerful serve and strong forehand and an ability to grind out wins from the baseline. Roddick is a big fan too, predicting the British world number four will be the next new Grand Slam champion, perhaps as early as next week. Next up for Draper is Croatia's Marin Cilic, a finalist here seven years ago now ranked 79 places below the home hope, though the two have never played. But, in truth, the quarter-finals - where Novak Djokovic could await - should be the minimum return for this fortnight in Costa Del Merton. "I wanted to play a bit longer, I was really getting my tennis together and it's no way to win like that," said Draper. "I'm trying to focus on the things that I can control, just keep doing the right things to play the best tennis I can and I'm really looking forward to the next week or so. "I'm not thinking matches ahead, everyone in this draw can play incredible tennis and we've seen already this week that everyone has the chance to cause an upset."
